Blind Tasting – Guess that Dram!
Last Sunday, a few friends and I attended the SMWS December Outturn preview. Back to the familiar format of 6 blind samples where we had to guess the distillery, age, and cask type. A fun exercise and one I appreciate greatly. We were also treated to a special 7th dram as our Christmas gift!
All of the whiskies were poured well in advance of the tasting. I added 5 drops of water to see if any changes occurred in the whiskies. The order of my notes is in the same order as the tasting was presented. All samples were blind, however, there were 5 distillery choices to guess from on our cards so some clues as to the region could be inferred.
Glen Garioch 2003 SMWS 19.68 “Spoil Yourself Rotten”
Nose: A floral forward nose that leaned into a fruity white wine aroma. Sultanas, lemon, and orange zest. Hay and apple blossoms. Nice bitter oak spices and a light saline background note. Adding water brought out those sweet table grape notes. A real burst of fruit that I enjoyed.
Palate: Sweet, floral wine. Strawberries and vanilla whipped cream. A noticeable barrel char character that isn’t as bitter as the nose suggested. Perhaps it was the char notes but it almost suggests a light smoky ash note.
Finish: Lots of those barrel char notes on the finish and burnt flavors. Bruleed sugars and more sweet cream notes. You’re left with more of the oak tannins than I’d prefer but adding a few drops of water brought out much of the missing fruit notes. Very tropical but still on the dry side.
The reveal of this dram being 18-22 years old was not a surprise. I had guessed on the upper end of the 13-17 year estimate. Incredibly fruity for a first-fill ex-bourbon, but those floral notes gave it away for me. I have not had much Glen Garioch, so this was a fun first dram to try something a bit older than the typical SMWS bottle and from a distillery I do not have much experience with.
Clynelish 2012 SMWS 26.218 “One Cool Cat”
Nose: Nice balance of bitter and sweet aroma. Unripe bananas with familiar floral notes. Tart white grapes and sour lemon drop candy. Very safe profile and rather plain. Adding a bit of water brought out some more fruity wine aromas. Honestly, it was very difficult to nose and pull out notes.
Palate: An earthy, herbal dram. Salted black licorice, tobacco, and dark cocoa notes. Bursts of fruit sporadically pop in and out as you taste this whisky. An underlying oak flavor that mellows the experience. Water pushes the tannins to the top and you lose a bit of that fruity, herbal character.
Finish: Somehow the salt notes were popping tonight. Everything bagel, sesame oil, and salted caramels. Finishing salt over chocolate-coated figs. It’s also a quite bitter finish with these salty notes. Incredibly earthy, like an organic oat cereal.
Seeing Clynelish on the list of possible distilleries threw me for a bit. I knew there was a cask coming in December but I couldn’t believe this was the one. With all the saline notes, I guessed an older Pulteney. On the reveal, I was shocked. This is not the most interesting Clynelish and likely my least favorite SMWS Clynelish in recent memory. I would have bought this blind for sure and would have been disappointed.
Auchroisk 2007 SMWS 95.71 “Prepare for Winter”
Nose: The nose was very alcohol-forward at first. It smelled like rubber erasers even. I let this sit a bit longer hoping those harsher notes would fade and thankfully they did. This is a dark and rich nose. Prunes and fig cookies. Old-fashioned grape soda or more appropriately a red wine spritzer. Amaro, herbescent notes. Roots, earth, and nocino aromas. Water brings out a rather pleasant sipping chocolate note.
Palate: Total fruit salad kind of palate. Melon, dates, honey crisp apples. Reminiscent of sugared-crusted apple pie. At times there were more slightly bitter notes, like a singed pie crust. Dilution certainly brought more of those flavors out. Pecans or walnuts. Dried cranberries and grapeseed oil.
Finish: My brain kind of turned off after my first sip. It was homemade apple strudel like my Oma made. I did return to my glass and added a touch of water. A dry, potpourri note emerged along with a creamed sweet butter flavor.
I have been meaning to review a K&L Auchroisk I picked up a while back but this one is incredibly delicious. I was very tempted to buy this one but ultimately decided on another bottle instead. One that my wife and I both enjoyed. This was my friend’s selection, so I will have to steal a few ounces from him instead. I highly recommend this one.
Benrinnes 2010 36.194 “Mid-Winter Celebrations”
Nose: It might have been lingering flavors from the last dram but I got even more apple-forward aromas from this dram. Jammy raisin compote. Fragrant and floral Mexican vanilla bean. After an extended rest a very chemical, woodshop note came out. Like a finishing oil or leather conditioner. Adding water dialed in that chemical note to orange pumice and that’s why that aroma reminded me of a workshop.
Palate: Waxy parafilm texture. Holiday spices with some cocoa and bitter orange. If you’ve ever made Pomander balls, it’s the mix of cloves and orange oils on your hands. Water only accentuated those notes further, giving this dram a proper Old Fashioned flavor. I described it as full pulp orange juice even.
Finish: This is a one-note wonder, Oranges. Zest, expressed oil, and dry. I’m enjoying it but by the time I finished my glass I was happy to taste something other than oranges. Water only pushed forward the cask notes and gave some balance.
I believe the finish on the Auchroisk, elevated the cask. Brought it some complexity and uniqueness. The PX finish with this Benrinnes shoehorned it a bit too much. While great whisky, it seems underdeveloped in terms of flavor profile. I enjoyed it but only as a one-off. It’s not a bottle I felt like I needed much more of and in fact, my wife shared the remaining ounce from her glass. I cannot believe I wrote “Holidays” as a tasting note as this is a perfect name for this bottle.
Inchgower 2007 SMWS 18.54 “A Thinking Dram”
Nose: It is going to sound strange but a salted, pink-frosted donut. An umami boldness with delicate royal icing laced around an old-fashioned yeasted donut. Incredibly fragrant whisky that started to reveal some floral notes over time.
Palate: The flavors on the palate brought out a funky sherry flavor. A mulled wine note, to a certain extent, with some cinnamon and nutmeg. More of those yeasted bread notes mixed with the funk and reinforced those notes for me. A touch of water revealed a mince pie and molasses undertone. More salinity and meaty now. If you’ve ever had sausage stuffing for Thanksgiving, it brings that same flavor combination.
Finish: It must be that time of year but Christmas pudding and peach pie. The palate notes blend right into the finish and the flavors all linger together. It’s a mixed Thanksgiving platter with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Behind the savory notes is a distinct citrus sharpness. It brings a much-needed bright acid note to the heavier flavors of this dram.
Umami Scotches are my absolute jam. This is a fantastic whisky and I’m not surprised this one sold out so quickly. I believe the bottle name is not a suitable one. I could easily turn off my brain and not give this one too much though, simply enjoy the flavors instead. What it did reveal, is that I should be looking at purchasing an Inchgower in the future.
Glenturret (Ruadh Maor) 2013 SMWS 16.88 “Dressed to Grill”
Nose: Peat and seaweed for days. I could live in this glass. Fish oil and lemon, like grilled salmon with lemon and rosemary. A great combo from some amazing Caol Ilas I’ve had and that was my guess initially. After adding water I couldn’t get this note out of my head. Boiled ballpark peanuts. I was just imagining 8-year-old me at a baseball game with my glove in my lap, cracking peanut shells and enjoying the park.
Palate: Fruity botanicals threw me for a loop. The aromas from my glass didn’t entirely match up to the first sip. With some additional time and water, a salted browned butter note came out. Slightly overroasted figs and caster sugar-coated butter cake. A wonderful blend of richer notes and earthy peanut shell flavors.
Finish: A very simple finish with many of those earth and soil flavors. Water was a must here bringing forth a pleasant oak bitterness. Sweet salted butter on a fresh baguette. Bready and yeasty with all of those whole grain flavors. A very nice finish after I diluted the whisky a touch.
Peated whiskies are always last and this one stood out. It reminded me so much of Ledaig but with a different malt character I couldn’t place. I have reviewed a Glen Turret before, but nothing peated. I have been missing out because this Ruadh Maor is fantastic. It’s a bottle my wife and I both agreed to purchase immediately!
Caol Ila 2010 SMWS 53.367 “A Green Sea Tapestry”
Nose: More peat and sea air! Kelp with loads of salt. As this was the end of the night and surprise dram I was a bit exhausted and simply enjoying this one rather than taking extensive notes. Adding water made a salty Scotch broth.
Palate: Very vegetal with eucalyptus, aloe, and grilled wild onions. An odd combination I was not expecting from a Scotch but more from agave. In fact, after adding some water it reminded me of a salt-rimmed margarita. More agave notes with heavy smoke and lime peel (dead giveaway to me this was Caol Ila!). It leaned into that citrus note further with a Lemoncello vibe to it.
Finish: Peat and salt. Two notes, harmonizing well with one another. Add water and it’s salt, salt, salt like accidentally taking a big gulp of the Atlantic Ocean. Dilution here helped it a bit but not much, revealing some of the citrus notes it severely lacked. If you’ve ever been served pickled lemon (Nimbu ka Achar) it’s very similar to those briney, savory, and tart flavors. Lastly just a ton of smoke from a barrel fire. Some dark chocolate can be found but the smoke overpowers everything but the salt notes.
A fun, unexpected dram to finish the night out on a high note. I love Caol Ila but I secretly finished my peated Glenturret last instead. This cask was a bit like the Laphroaig Warehouse 1 Cairdeas with that intense salinity but with the citrus notes I love from Caol Ila. A good, not great bottle but fun for the folks who fully embrace those seaside campfire drams. Overtasters need not apply. I am not exaggerating the salt levels of this one!
